jea 03 wild sharks
Minesota Wild left winger Eric Nystrom (23) (right) gets tangled up with San Jose defenseman Niclas Walllin (7) (left) in first period action in Wednesday’s game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, December 29, 2010.
(Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Forward Eric Nystrom took an unpleasant and circuitous route from the Wild to the Dallas Stars, whom he joined Wednesday after Minnesota traded him for future considerations.

Nystrom, 28, cleared waivers last week and was sent to Houston of the American Hockey League, then cleared re-entry waivers to return to Minnesota’s roster before the deal was completed to bring him back to the NHL.

“I don’t plan on leaving again,” he said from Houston before boarding a plane to Dallas. “It’s been tough.”

Nystrom said the Wild, who signed him as a free agent to a three-year contract for $1.4 million a year in July 2010, were obviously intent on using home-grown, younger players, so “I was just happy to be out of that situation.”

After leaving the Calgary Flames for free agency in 2010, he played all last season in Minnesota with four goals and eight assists in 82 games. This season, however, he said he didn’t believe he was a good fit for the direction the Wild were taking.

“We’re trying to take a look at the younger players in the organization,” Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said. “Things are always changing in this business, but right now, it’s important to take a look at these young players and see how they fit in and how the coaches utilize them and look at what gives us the best chance to win hockey games.”

Because wingers Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Brad Staubitz both have finished league suspensions and are available to play against Edmonton tonight at the Xcel Energy Center, Nystrom would have been the 15th forward on Minnesota’s roster.

“From our perspective, there’s no sense in carrying 15 forwards at this time of the year,” Fletcher said, “and from Eric’s perspective, he’s an NHL player, and this gives him the opportunity to get back in the league where he belongs.”

Fletcher said there are no draft choices involved in the trade, simply “future considerations,” which basically means the Stars took Nystrom as well as Nystrom’s salary off the Wild’s hands.

“Eric is a hard-working forward who kills penalties and will help with the depth of our current roster,” Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk said on the team’s website.

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